Senior Member

Crazy. So, if I'm reading that report correctly, the 1881 James Cooper house is going to be connected to the slab-und-townhouse combo by a glass bridge, which makes it look like it's going to be integrated into the development. Will it be renovated, divided, and sold as new units?

The elevations of it sticking out from the slabtacular development remind me of the guy who showed up at the doctor's office with a frog attached to the top of his head. The doctor asks what happened, and the frog says, "it started out as a lump on my ass..."

Administrator

SNF, I'll agree with your assessment that the house is going to look rather tacked-on when all is said and done...

...but I don't think this tower is that slabtacular. It's not that long an east-west frontage, and it looks like it will be quite thin north-south too. This could possibly be sold similarly to one of those widesuite towers that the Conservatory Group is currently marketing. (Their current Square One area project is actually called the Widesuites Condominums. How's that for the worst-named building ever launched in the GTA?) Anyway, this one is a Delterra project, not Conservatory - just so there's no confusion. Anyhoo, I always think lots-of-precast or lots-of-brick when I think slab, and this one's looking pretty glassy (shiny happy) to me. I ain't worried 'bout it.

Active Member

I disagree with the slab theory and the frog-on-head theory. The tower has a width/depth ratio of about 2.5 to 1, while there are many others in the area that are 4.5 or more. Also, the size and placing of the balconies reduces the impression of a monolith.

If the mansion were being placed on the wide side of the building, yes, it would look odd, but as this will bring the house to the same setback as most of the others on the street, it will simply look like a mansion with a tower behind it.

New Member

Nice to see the city is still collecting funds for the mothballed swimming pool at the Wellesley Community Centre. They're asking $750,000 from the developer to go towards the $5 million + the pool was to cost.

recession proof

Rather decent looking except for the awkward integration of the historic house. It could be by Clewes or Core.

Jarvis/Sherbourne could one day be the new Bay St/University condo corridor. Hope they get it right this time--vibrant retail at base, narrow the street to 4 lanes max; high quality architecture all the way into the 2020's.

Senior Member

came across this at insidetoronto.....is this one we have already discussed?

Sherbourne Street development gets green light
Historic James Cooper House will be preserved
BY JUSTIN SKINNER
May 31, 2007 11:00 AM

Toronto and East York Community Council approved plans for a new 32-storey residential building on Sherbourne Street on Tuesday, managing to save a small part of the city's history as well.
While the new building would be far taller than the surrounding buildings, many of which stand two and three storeys high, it would help intensify the area around the Sherbourne subway station. Chris Crane, president of the neighbouring Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association, said the building's height would not pose a major problem for most local residents.

"The association has been working with the applicant for the past two years and we want to move forward with what we believe is a very positive development for this unique site," he said. "The elements of design (of the building) allow it to integrate into the neighbourhood."

The building is slated to be built on a site currently occupied by the historic James Cooper House, which was built in 1881. Rather than destroying the house, however, the proposal includes clauses that ensure the conservation of the heritage property by moving it toward Sherbourne Street. Crane said those provisions allowed most residents to overcome any hesitation they may have had over the new building's height.

"It's a trade-off for the preservation of what (residents) think is a very important heritage property," he said.

While feedback for the proposal was largely positive within the community, some skepticism remained as to whether the 32-storey building would fit in with the surrounding neighbourhood. Resident Anton Kuerti said he felt the building was far too dense to be built on the site.

"Linden has around 40 residential units and to add another 270 to that is utterly preposterous," he said. "(The developer) asking for coverage very, very close to 10 (times coverage) is a greedy affront to the community."

Kuerti added that he was concerned with the added traffic that the new development could bring to the area, suggesting that it could dramatically increase the number of cars travelling along - and parked on - Linden street.

Ward 27 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) Councillor Kyle Rae, however, said that the site was used until recently by the Knights of Columbus, which would hold fundraising events that caused more parking problems than the new development likely will.

"The bingo games in that two-storey building created huge problems for residents in the area," he said. "People (living on Linden Street) would sit in their front window in their pajamas waiting for the bingo to end so they could park on their own street. It was a travesty of community relations."

The new building also allows the city to collect $750,000 toward the construction of a long-awaited community swimming pool at the Wellesley Community Centre.

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